Episode Summary
In this episode, Johnny Mueller discusses the cost of living in Latin America, particularly focusing on inflation and the impact of imported goods. He highlights that prices in Latin America are often higher than in the first world, especially for imported products, and warns about the rising costs in countries like Argentina, Brazil, and Chile due to bloated governments and high taxes. He also mentions that countries like Costa Rica, Panama, and Peru are becoming increasingly expensive, with Peru experiencing significant inflation and rising costs due to international tourism. Mueller suggests that expats should avoid these expensive countries and consider more affordable options.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller discusses the cost of living in Latin America, particularly focusing on Peru and other countries. He highlights that expats living in big cities like Lima, Peru, face high costs, with expenses ranging from $3,000 to $4,000 per month for a couple. He contrasts this with smaller towns and countries off the tourist trail, where the cost of living is significantly lower, with expenses ranging from $1,500 to $2,000 per month. Johnny also mentions the affordability of local products and services, such as food and medical care, and compares these costs to those in the United States. He further discusses the concept of 'canasta basica,' a term used to measure the basic cost of living for a family of four, noting that it is much lower in countries like Nicaragua and Guatemala compared to the United States.
Johnny Mueller discusses the concept of 'canasta basica,' which is the monthly cost of living for a family of four in Latin America. He explains that while the canasta basica in Brazil is double the cost of most of Latin America, it is still considered low by first-world standards. He highlights that families in Latin America often rely on multiple members working to afford this cost of living, which is a concept foreign to first-worlders. Johnny also provides examples of canasta basica figures in various Latin American countries and explains the difference between 'canasta basica alimentaria' (food-only) and 'canasta basica vital' (all expenses). He concludes by suggesting that expats can use these figures to estimate their cost of living in a Latin American country and mentions that the canasta basica multiplied by two is a rough estimate for a first-world expat to live in style.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller discusses the experiences of expats in Latin America, emphasizing that most expats do not come to take advantage of locals but rather seek to fill niche markets with products and services they are accustomed to in the first world. He uses examples like expat Eddie and his experience with sushi, as well as his German friend's struggle to find good Italian food, to illustrate how expats often find themselves in situations where they must adapt to local conditions. He argues that expats are not necessarily taking advantage of locals, but rather improving the overall quality of life and services in the region. Johnny also touches on the broader impact of expats on the local economy, suggesting that their presence can lead to improvements in infrastructure and services, even if it comes at the cost of some local businesses.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller discusses the importance of learning Spanish for expats living off the tourist trail in Latin America. He highlights that while English is commonly taught in schools and universities in countries along the tourist trail, it is not widely spoken in more remote areas. Johnny emphasizes the need for expats to learn Spanish quickly, especially if they plan to live permanently. He introduces a method he calls 'Spanish Boot Camp,' which involves living with a Spanish-speaking family, attending intensive language courses, and immersing oneself in the language and culture. He acknowledges that this method is challenging and uncomfortable, but he believes it is the most effective way to learn Spanish quickly.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller outlines a comprehensive approach to learning Spanish for expats living in Latin America. He emphasizes that simply paying attention to conversations will lead to picking up a lot of conversational Spanish. He also highlights the cultural appeal of Latin countries, noting that the women are sexy and often dress in tight clothes, while the men are portrayed as suave and debonair in telenovelas. Johnny then suggests a practical method for language immersion: reinstalling the operating system on computers in Spanish. He explains that this can be done for a low cost at any computer store and that, although it may be challenging at first, it will ultimately make the user bilingual on their computer. He shares his personal experience with this method, noting that he has used it for years and that it has made him so accustomed to Spanish interfaces that he feels out of place when encountering English interfaces. While he acknowledges that this method won't make someone fluent in writing or speaking Spanish, it will help with becoming comfortable with the language in a digital context.
Topics
Cost of living in Latin America, Inflation and economic issues, Impact of imported goods, Government policies and their effects on expats, Expatriate experiences in Peru, Affordability of local products and services, Comparison of medical costs, Economic indicators like 'canasta basica', canasta basica, first-world vs. Latin American living standards, expat life in Latin America, Expats in Latin America
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:33 Inflation and Cost of Living in Latin America 00:01:19 Imported Goods and Shipping Costs 00:01:52 Government Policies and Debt 00:03:40 Expensive Countries in Latin America 00:04:11 Inflation in Venezuela and Peru 00:05:50 Oxymoron and Cost of Living in Peru 00:05:53 Monthly Cost of Living in Lima, Peru 00:05:57 Affordability of Living in Big Cities 00:06:01 Need for Additional Income Sources 00:06:06 Importance of Personal Savings and Pensions 00:06:11 Explanation of Financial Schemes 00:06:18 Expat Encounters with Brits 00:06:21 Brits and Their Travel Habits 00:11:18 Introduction to canasta basica in Brazil 00:11:22 Cost of living in Latin America 00:11:26 Comparison of first-world and Latin American standards 00:11:29 Cost of living in Latin America compared to Brazil 00:11:32 Explanation of canasta basica 00:11:35 Monthly cost of living for a family of four 00:11:38 Confusion among first-world people about canasta basica 00:11:43 Question about affordability of canasta basica 00:16:10 Introduction to the topic of expats in Latin America 00:16:12 The majority of expats come to Latin America to fill niche markets 00:16:18 Expats do not come to take advantage of locals but to find products and services they are used to 00:16:24 Expats come to Latin America looking for creature comforts 00:16:28 Expats often find that the products and services they are used to are not available in Latin America 00:16:33 Expats adapt to local conditions and create their own businesses 00:16:37 Expats often find that the local version of products and services is of poor quality 00:16:43 Expats are not necessarily taking advantage of locals but are improving the overall quality of life 00:21:28 Spanish Boot Camp Method for Expats Off the Tourist Trail 00:25:39 Learning Spanish Through Observation 00:25:56 Cultural Appeal of Latin Countries 00:26:12 Practical Language Immersion Through Technology
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:00] South of the border down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came up to play and now as I wonder My thoughts ever straight Hi everybody I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to the expat files Living in Latin America the show that tells you what it's really like to live work play and or retire in Latin America I tell it just like it is so let's get started You know people ask me all the time about inflation and the cost of living down here in Latin America Our price is going up any faster than they are up in the first world and people want to know which Latin countries are Expensive or are getting more expensive relatively speaking since there are Latin countries that are cheap now
[00:50] But soon they won't be in other words if you're an expat wannabe and you're on a strict budget Which Latin countries are very easy on the pocketbook and will be for the foreseeable future Well again anywhere in Latin America when you buy imported products from the first world You're gonna pay as much or more than you pay up in Cleveland for the same thing and sometimes up to twice as much You remember what I said about the price of cars in Argentina Vehicles are generally twice as much as you'll pay up in the first world for the same make and model And that's almost universal down in South America because there's such a long shipping distance from Europe or the states And there's so much more international paperwork like border crossings Adwanas and middleman handlers not to mention a lot of that stuff has to go through the Panama Canal And that's an extra added cost to oh, yeah
[01:37] And I should mention that South American countries like Argentina Brazil and Chile have useless bloated tax-hungry Governments that are growing fatter every day, and how'd that happen? Well, that's because their government's decision makers Decided in the last five or ten years to follow the lead of the US and Europe thinking that's the fast-track to becoming first world and they also believe it's perfectly fine to carry huge first world style debt, too and That means of course They are not countries that expats should be moving to no matter what Doug Casey says in fact. I think soon enough He's gonna regret that decision. He made to become an expat in Argentina In fact, I got a bet going with expat Eddie that soon enough. It's gonna fall flat on its face
[02:23] So I'll keep you posted on that okay now. Let's recap some of that cost-of-living stuff Like I said first world imports are generally more expensive than what you pay for them up in Cleveland Especially in South America where first world import prices can even be double now notice I said first world imports because remember the whole world including Central and South America have been absolutely flooded with cheap Chinese Imports and down here that Chinese stuffs as cheaper even cheaper than it is up in the first world and yes Just like up in the first world a lot of local businesses and mom-and-pop outfits are getting killed by that stuff But that's a topic for another day anyway What if you come down to Latin America and decide you're gonna buy mostly local products? What's the cost of living gonna be like for you then well?
[03:10] I'll get to that, but actually it would be a better and more useful discussion for me to report on Latin American countries That are relatively expensive now So you can avoid them and to report on countries that used to be very cheap some years ago But are getting more expensive all the time not only due to higher inflation But also because of ever bloating government and higher taxes I'll give you a heads up on that so you can avoid those countries too or not So let me give you a list of the usual suspects Latin countries and some cities that have first world prices or nearly first world prices now Well that would be Costa Rica Panama Argentina Chile, and now unfortunately We have to include some of the larger cities in South America
[03:56] I'm talking about a good percentage of the cities over a hundred thousand in population and Just in the last few years two Latin countries in particular have been creeping up on the cost of living scale Faster than anyone would have predicted one is Venezuela Which has had 35 percent inflation over the last five or six years and that kind of inflation really distorts an economy And the other country that used to be cheap and now the cost of living is getting out of hand is Peru Prices are really escalating there especially in the big cities like Lima now Lima really is a big city It's got seven or eight million people and of course if you want to go native and live like a middle-class local it's still really cheap to live like that in Peru and By the way in every other Latin American country to including the expensive ones like Panama Costa Rica Chile and Argentina, etc
[04:47] However expats do not want to live like the locals we want to live pretty much in the first world style that we're accustomed to and most of us would love to do it on a $1,500 a month Social Security check and expats down here aren't doing that all the time I know a lot of them myself, but they're not doing it in those expensive countries. I've mentioned But what about Peru? I get a lot of questions about Peru I mean they've got Machu Picchu and all those great Inca ruins great weather and a lot of things going for it except It's getting quite expensive and unfortunately a big part of that reason is all that International tourism that comes in the Cusco Lima and Machu Picchu They're starting to get their own taste of the Costa Rican disease And though it's not as severe as Costa Rica yet. It seems to be going right along the same path
[05:34] I'm talking about gringo dollar and euro contamination Now if you're gonna be an expat in a city like Lima, Peru It's not gonna cost you $1,500 a month an average social security check that is to live more or less a laid-back first world lifestyle Wait a minute that might be an oxymoron there Anyway, it's gonna be more like three to four grand a month You heard me three to four grand which basically means it'll be just Impossible for you to live in a big city in Peru on a social security check you'll need another source of income like your own personal savings a 401k a private pension scheme or whatever now notice there. I said scheme. Let me explain When you're an expat you run into a lot of Brits
[06:21] And I bet the Brits and the Germans are the most well-traveled people per capita in the world So when you're on the road, you do meet a lot of Brits and it's always amusing to us us gringo expats When Brits called financial agreements like trusts pension plans and insurance schemes like for example I'll say Johnny what kind of insurance scheme do you have and to us gringos the word scheme means something Underhanded kind of dodgy even illegal So when the Brits for example say their national health care is another government scheme us gringo expats laugh because to us everything The government does is a scheme sneaky underhanded devious and essentially illegal our definition of scheme But when we laugh about it Brits don't get it now, where was I? Oh, yeah
[07:09] I was saying it costs 3,000 to 4,000 a month to live in Lima Peru the way expats like to live Of course, and when I quote those figures, I'm talking about a couple now husband and wife generally However, if you get out of the big cities and go into the boonies It's another story altogether once you're into a town of 50,000 or less Then you can generally do the first world retirement thing on 1500 to 2000 a month again That's if you buy mostly local products, which is not at all hard to do Because all throughout Latin America, there are local versions of all products For example, if you want oatmeal, you don't have to buy Quaker oatmeal You can buy the local brand for a third of the price And sure you can buy Smucker's Jam or Jif peanut butter But you can get the local stuff for a half to a third of the price to you get the idea
[07:59] And to give you another idea of the price increases just lately in the bigger cities in South America like Lima Lately, I've been hearing that for a visit to your doctor It costs 35 to 50 bucks where the standard rate for a doctor's visit in smaller towns in Latin America And in those countries that are well off the tourist trail like in Nicaragua or Honduras For example a doctor's visit there will run anywhere from 15 to 25 bucks for a visit That would be the straight fee if you're paying cash without insurance, of course And that's about half the price of a doctor visit in a big city like Cali or Cartagena, Colombia Or Lima, Peru And in those really big South American cities if you need to have some lab work or some blood work done The average cost might be around a hundred bucks
[08:44] That would be for example for the necessary lab workup before a surgery Whereas in those smaller towns of 50,000 or less And in those countries off the tourist trail like Nicaragua, Honduras, Salvador, Guatemala, Bolivia and the like That same lab work would be around half of that Again, that's a cash price without insurance Though I'll admit even a hundred bucks for a lab workup Seems like quite a deal compared to first world lab costs up in the States Which can easily run three or four times as much Anyway when talking about the cost of living in Latin America One of the big surprises is that Brazil is not cheap anymore Relatively speaking of course Now to give you a better picture of that You might remember in a past show I talked about something called a canasta basica Which actually translates to basic basket
[09:32] And that's how economists and analysts talk about the basic Monthly cost of living for a family of four in Latin America So when you hear the term canasta basica That includes food, transportation, housing, water, utilities, clothes, etc. And everything it takes for the average family of four Two adults and two children What economists here call your average Latin family But really it's nothing of the sort Because there's really never just four people living in a Latin family household They've generally got more than two kids And often an old timer or two A grandma or a grandpa An uncle or an aunt And there just might be someone in the family's illegitimate kid living there too So there's rarely just four people living in a Latin household
[10:17] But economists here base their canasta basica on four people in a home So we'll go with that too Now in the very inexpensive countries like Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala Bolivia and Paraguay, etc. That canasta basica runs anywhere from five to six hundred dollars a month Which seems ridiculously cheap and practically in another world Compared to what a canasta basica would cost for a family of four for a month up in the States Up there the very basic minimum would be from 3500 to 4000 a month About six to eight times more than the cost here And even at that those first world cost of living prices As I just quoted would be considered lower middle class Families in the States making 35 to 50,000 bucks a year are considered lower middle class
[11:08] That's up in the States. Of course down here would be considered the Ritz Anyway in Latin America If the average monthly canasta basica is about five to six hundred bucks It might surprise you to know that it's double in Brazil Their canasta basicas anywhere from a thousand to twelve hundred bucks a month Still ridiculously low by first world standards But double the cost of most of the rest of Latin America And remember when I talk about the canasta basica This is the monthly cost of living for a family of four Which always seems to confuse first world people who analyze those government numbers The question always comes up If the average salary in Latin America is 300 to 350 bucks a month How can a family afford the canasta basica? It looks like they'll always come up short
[11:54] Well, they're able to pull it off because everyone in the family works At least some kind of job They all chip in and that's how it works Now you have to admit that's kind of a foreign concept to us first worlders I don't think families up north have pulled their dough since the 1950s And believe me if parents in Cleveland suddenly ask their entitled kids to chip in for the common good Or even ask their spoiled kids to get a part-time job Well, let's just say it wouldn't be pretty I know that's the way it would be with my spoiled nieces and nephews That's for sure Now until I brought it up You probably never heard of the canasta basica before But it really does give you a very good measure of how cheap or expensive a latin country is For example in Argentina The canasta basica is about 1100 bucks a month
[12:41] Ecuador is about half that 550 bucks a month Venezuela is about 750 a month Which gives you an idea what inflation has been doing to that country And Peru's canasta basica about 800 bucks a month So the bottom line is if any of you folks out there Want an up-to-date cost of living analysis of any latin country you're thinking of moving to Check out the canasta basica figures on the internet Then go ahead and compare the countries But know that there's two canasta basica figures and that can be confusing And the latin papers will often just give you one or the other So you have to know the difference One is just for food called canasta basica alimentaria And the other is called canasta basica vital Now the second one canasta basica vital is the one you're looking for
[13:28] And in this case the word vital looks exactly like the English word vital V-I-T-A-L And the canasta basica vital includes the monthly cost of everything Not just food That means housing, transportation, healthcare, clothes, schooling and all the monthly extras And the other one The canasta basica alimentaria is just for food So don't mix them up, it's apples and oranges Haha Okay, regarding that Let's say you lived in Honduras where the canasta basica vital is about 500 to 550 bucks a month For a family of four So do you think you could live on that? Well you could if you went completely native Like for example you had cold running water Had a little garden and a couple of driveway chickens And forget about having a car
[14:14] You'd be riding the chicken bus for sure But it does give you a rather nice gauge of the cost of living in that country Now here's expat Eddie's take on it He says if you take the canasta basica of any Latin country and you multiply it by two He swears that's the kind of money it would take for a first world expat to live in style in that country For example he says in Guatemala where the canasta basica is about 500 to 600 bucks a month A gringo could live in style on double that about 1000 to 1200 bucks a month And remember that amount would support eight locals Eight average Guatemalans in the way they're accustomed to living So if you think about it in other terms That means when a gringo comes down here as an expat He ends up with a consumer slash ecological footprint of eight average Guatemalans
[15:02] Which I guess is kind of sad to contemplate but nobody ever said that life was fair Which brings me to a point that comes up once in a while People ask me on occasion Johnny how many negative emails do you get? Do you get many people hammering on you and calling you a jerk? Since what you say on the expat files is definitely not politically correct Now I've had people ask me this in reference to the way I talk about the gringo advantage Some people up there in first world land think that I'm encouraging first world people come down here And take advantage of poor uneducated Latins In fact some first world people think when I talk about that gringo advantage That I should actually call it the Latin American disadvantage Well it might work but the gringo advantage has a better ring to it don't you think?
[15:51] And you know at first glance they have a valid point Because I guess to some I do sound like I'm out here saying hey You can hardly help but to succeed since the competition down here at the Latins are Well there's no other way to put it retarded in the ways of business At least regarding the way us first world people approach it Well here's my answer to that I would really have to say that the vast majority of first worlders that come down here and create successful businesses They did not come down here with the intention of getting over on under educated hapless Latins What they did was they came down here like expat Eddie did For example looking to buy a common product or service that they were used to getting up in Cleveland Like for Eddie it was sushi he just loved sushi
[16:37] And like he said when he came down here a dozen or so years ago he couldn't believe what passed for sushi He said he wouldn't feed it to his cat But like he said every Latin gringo wannabe with a bodyguard or two just ate that stuff right up It didn't matter they saw that the girls on sex in the city were eating sushi so they had to have it too So this is how it works Many expats come down here learn the language a bit settle in and start looking for creature comforts They were accustomed to having up in the first world Only to find the product or service doesn't exist at all Or the product or service is available Latin style Which means it leaves a lot to be desired Case in point my German buddies Italian restaurants and expat Eddie's sushi restaurants Now my German buddy just couldn't get any good Italian food
[17:25] When he came down 15 or 20 years ago he said the so-called Italian restaurants down here Owned and operated by lands of course offered basically a very bad version of chef Boyardee Steeped in ketchup sauce with a basket of Wonder bread on the side And the Latin version of Wonder bread is called bimbo bread down here as you might know And so often when a new expat comes down to Latin America especially in a smaller town He notices he just can't get a good clean brightly lit hotel with consistent hot water and light switches that work Which is why all the good hotels are owned by expats So what I'm saying is this gringos and expats come down here looking for services and products They're used to getting up in the first world and when they don't find them they say hey that's a niche I can fill
[18:12] So are we taking advantage of the Latins when we do that? Probably because if you open up a nice clean bed and breakfast across the street from a scummy dank Latin hotel You're definitely gonna steal their business from day one So are you taking advantage of that guy? Indirectly maybe but it's more like you're taking advantage of the general situation So should we feel guilty about putting a guy like that out of business if that's what happens? I don't think so If for example a gringo offers a better cleaner service all around then everybody wins right? Except the guy with the dank stinky bug infested hotel across the street So in the end whether you're uncomfortable with it or not The way we long-term expats look at it, the gringo advantage lifts all boats
[18:57] Except for the guy with the Cucaracha Hotel who should have sunk a long time ago And what do I mean by the gringo advantage lifts all boats? Well just have a look at Costa Rica for example 30 years ago Costa Rica was laid back and quaint and cheap Like so many places in Latin America off the tourist trail these days Now Costa Rica's clean, nice, spiffy all polished up like a first world resort And crowded and first world expensive too So the gringo advantage there did lift all boats Which is a very good thing for those who bought in like 20 or 30 years ago But now after all these years most expats I know living in Costa Rica now Would gladly sell their businesses and get out if they could But they can't because prices are too high and they're stuck at the top of a real estate bubble
[19:46] Expats don't like the fact that the gringo advantage lifted all boats Because along the way the gringo advantage was completely lost And us expats we don't like when that happens And I know you expat wannabes don't want that to happen down here either Because you know we do have our selfish reasons for maintaining the status quo here off the tourist trail That's how we find our business niches Now the question again is are we taking advantage of the locals? Well even if you're on the fence about that You have to recognize that expats are giving the locals jobs And giving them real first world training and discipline That they'd never get if they were working for a latin business And you know in the back of my mind when I think of the words taking advantage of people To me that's a short leap to the phrase ripping people off
[20:31] And I don't know of any expat in business who rips off the locals In fact almost all the expats I know who are in business Bend over backwards to give a really good product or service That's why when latins are our competition we just blow them away In reality it seems like us expats are doing the exact opposite of taking advantage of the locals If we weren't here providing jobs for the locals I hate to say it but I think their lives would be a little less enhanced for it Because if they weren't working for you they'd be working at the Cucaracha Hotel Enough said about that Now I want to talk a little bit more about learning Spanish down here in Latin America Now as I've said many times If you come down on vacation and hit the tourist trail You don't have to know Spanish at all Because most of the waitresses and taxi drivers and service people
[21:18] Will speak a little bit of English And some will speak it very well Because those countries on the tourist trail Offer in their universities and in their high schools and technical schools Programs in tourism and hotel restaurant management And English classes are mandatory Because that's where the tourist trail money comes from First world gringos and English speaking Europeans However like I said before when you're off the tourist trail Most people don't speak English at all Only certain professionals like doctors and lawyers And mostly only the younger professionals to boot And that's why when I give my Latin American seminars off the tourist trail I always have a handful of bilingual translators tagging along To help out the group When you're off the tourist trail you just might need a translator
[22:04] Since the average first world gringo can't decipher a restaurant menu And I don't know how many of you have actually experienced the feeling before Of being completely unable to get your point across in a foreign country But I assure you that some of the people at my expat wisdom seminars Have approached me after a few days and said Hey Johnny I really want to come back here But man I feel lost in the Spanish department What they really want to know is What's the fastest way to get their Spanish up to speed In the shortest possible amount of time Well here's what I say for people who want to learn it in a hurry And there is a surefire way of learning pretty good Spanish Enough to get by conversationally anyway And you can do it in just one month And I call it Spanish Boot Camp
[22:51] And I recommend it for anyone who's coming down here to live permanently And here's how you do it First you do the Spanish family immersion thing That's when you live 24-7 room and board With a Spanish family speaking no English only Spanish But here's the extra part Here's the boot camp part While you're staying with that family You sign up for intensive Spanish courses One on one with a non-English speaking instructor And you do that four hours each morning Six days each week And that's in addition to the family immersion experience Now that's what I call boot camp And I guarantee you if you do one month of that You'll have no problem getting around down here off the tourist trail But that's not all There's more to the boot camp thing But I'll get to that Now the advantage of what I call Spanish Boot Camp is obvious
[23:38] And you know what? You're gonna hate it In fact you're gonna despise it You're gonna feel like a fish out of water for the first couple of days Not to mention you're gonna be in the toilet a lot Because you'll be eating what those Latin ladies in your immersion family Are preparing for you and everyone else in the house And diving cold turkey into the rice and beans culinary deep end like that Will not be kind to your delicate first world intestinal flora Believe me I've been there And unfortunately it usually works out that by the time you're regular You're about done with the immersion program Like I said you're not gonna like any of it And that's why I call it boot camp But believe me you'll be about six months to a year Ahead of any gringo who learns his or her Spanish any other way Because the unfortunate fact is
[24:24] If you come down here with bad or zero Spanish like I did And you don't sign up immediately for an immersion course Or what I call the boot camp course I guarantee that in a few days you'll fall in with some gringos or Europeans You'll be drawn to any and all voices that speak English Even I hate to say it Democrats, Republicans and Oprah lovers Makes me cringe when I think about it And I ought to know I went through that myself Because you see when you're off the tourist trail And you don't run into gringos much at all You've got another problem You're checking out websites and emails in English And you've got your iPod loaded with English music Then when you're back in your room you flick on your TV and watch CNN, HBO, Nachio or porno to get your English fix
[25:09] But none of that is allowed with Spanish boot camp To do the boot camp thing right Go the whole nine yards and load your iPod up with Spanish music Spanish rock and roll, reggae, salsa, merengue Anything but English music And though this might sound like a brain numbing suggestion too When you get back to your room at night You turn on one of the Spanish telenovela stations One of the Spanish soap opera networks And for however short they are in the talent and production department You will pick up a hell of a lot of conversational Spanish by just paying attention Not to mention for you guys out there All the girls are sexy They wear tight clothes and often run around in bikinis And not to shortchange you expat ladies out there All the men in those latin soap operas, those telenovelas
[25:56] Are suave, debonair, antonio banderas, latin lover types So there's something superficial and shallow for everyone And when you're finished with that month of boot camp Here's the topper, the icing on the cake You take your computers and your smartphones, all of them And you reinstall the operating system in Spanish In other words if you have a PC you're going to install the latest Windows version in Spanish And if you have a Mac that will be in Spanish too And down here you can get that done for like 20 bucks in any computer store And believe me it sounds like a big step And you'll really fumble along at first But you'll thank me for the idea in the end, believe me Because now with your desktop and your interfaces and all your programs also in Spanish You'll be absolutely forced into being bilingual on your computer too
[26:43] Now I've done that myself for a long long time For years I've had a Spanish Windows program going on my computer In fact I'm so used to it that when I see someone else's computer in English It kind of throws me a bit Now of course that doesn't mean you're going to write your letters and emails And do your banking in Spanish But for example writing to your dear old mom up in the States You'll write in English of course But all the functions and commands for the word program itself will be in Spanish And believe me in no time you'll get used to it And the truth is the only thing you won't get used to is the fact that your spell check won't work anymore It'll be looking for misspelled words in Spanish, not English But there is a way around that too but I'm not going to tell you You'll have to find that out for yourself Like I said, that's why I call it Johnny's Spanish Language Boot Camp
[27:38] You've been listening to The Expat Files, living in Latin America Coming to you each week from somewhere south of the border And don't forget you can email me on anything at all about Latin America The Expat Files at gmail.com See you next time, Los Famos